Locking device



Oct. 13, 1931. c. .1. SYMMONDS LOCKING DEVICE Filed Dec. 1950 y //Vl/j/YTOR. BY y W Y -ATTORNEX Patented Octg 13, 1931 a cn mnns'a. smmms, or wasnmsrou', nis'rnio'ror c mm v I iiooxiue nnvrcn a I Applicationfiled becember 15 193o. j1se ia1 No. 502,309,]

(GRANTED :UNDERLTHE ac r or mancua' sss, As, AMEunEn united i528; 3700. G. 757). i

This invention described herein may be manufactured" and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of anyroyaltythereon;

1 My invention relates to a class of locks and latches, and in particular to a lock designed for articles of furniture adapted to be readily folded or unfolded as usage requires? Anjobjectof my invention is to provide a simple, quick acting, and V reliable finger latch that may be manufactured and'sold at .p'o ular prices.

nother object of my invention" is to @1 0:

vide-a. latch which is'adapted tobe-att'ached to the table.

2, Still another object of my invention is to 1zm this invention my lock comprises main provide a-latch which isofcompact constru'ctiom'durable, and efiicient in use,re'adily applied to and removed from the furnr ture memberto which it may be, attached,

the latch firmly holding in locked position the "furniture member tofwhich it is, attached to a keeper memberprovided on another furniture member;

making the locking device expensive to construct, unrellable, andineiiiclent in use. 7

With the above and other-objects and advantages in view the inventionpr'eferably consists in the arrangement and combinationof parts to be hereinafter 'moref fully de scribed and claimedand illustrated inthe accompanying drawings; it; being: understood however, that various changes in form and proportion and other details of construe tion may be resorted to without departing from'the spirit'or sacrificing'any of-thead vantages o'fthisinvention.

Referring more part cularly now to the accompanying dItWlIlgS 1n" wh1ch"-corre 'sponding parts are indicated by similariref erence characters.-

i to the ends of table legs forlocking the legs lock [is embedded to be displacefa temporary u I r I v pivotedpin'4f ordinarily keeping 'thelatch. The usual type of lockingdevicenowem and its'casing together in pivotablerelationployed are made in numerous sect-ions thus It is therefore the; aim and-purpose of this invention to provide a locking device"; which is simple and cheap to construct, eflicie'nt in'= l is a perspective View of my new and improved lock detached from the furniture member to which it isto beatt-achedand engaging a keepermember detached from a furniture member.

,Fig.21sadetailvlew ofthe'pivotablelatch;

casing being fIn the inflamed embodiment [character-y ly aHU-shaped'portion "1 formingan outer casing for the pivotable latch 2, ai s a keeper plate. The latch? is pivoted to the U-shaped casing 1' by means of a pin 4 which is driven through the piece of furniture in which the ship. The casing 1 is formed fro m' a sheet metal blankstampedintoa general rectangular shape as illustrated in Fig. 3 having twopin receiving apertures 5', and two rectangular spring receiving apertures 6 Cut- "away portions 7 are provided for'tliepurpose of forming a fingeror thumb aperture to pro} vlde a working surface on the lock. The

is lower portion 8-.of' the is "of anjirregular shape a housing forgthe tongue or jaw member 9 'fo'rmedon therpivotable latch member 2 The blank thus formed is bent about its central vertical' axisfinto'the form of a U for housing the pivot-f able latch member 2; -Thelatch member 2 vis formed froma flat piece'of sheet metal of general rectangular configuration stamped to provide a tongueor ]ELW member 9, and an internal H-shaped aperture 10, and also weir cular aperture- 11 of greater di'ameterthan the diameter of the pin receiving apertlures l 5 of casing 1 to receive thepin 4c, andfor a" purpose which will hereinafter be desoribed; ls 3; l'

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view on of the line 5'5 ofFigjQ.

The pivotable latch member 2 is now inof the casing 1 and the aperture. 11 of the pivotable latch member 2 to hold these me'mbers together. The helical spring 12' is next presented through the apertures 6 of the easingl into the H-shaped aperture 10 of its latch member 2 with the end turnsv of the helical spring embracing the inwardly projecting tongues 13 formed by the H sh a'ped aperture 10. It is noted that thediameter of the helical spring 12 is greater than the thickness of the latch member 2 but less than the distance between the outer surfaces of the casing member 1 so that upon compress ing the latch member 2 the spring will bear against the sides of apertures 6. of the casing- It is also pointed out that the collar 14 is positioned within the aperture 11 ofthe latch member 2 and is slightly longer than. the diameter of the latch member 2 for keeping the contiguous surfaces of the casing member 1. and. the latch member 2 separated the temporary pivot pin: 42' being: inserted. through the collar 14..

All of the above assembly thus far formed constitutes one of the two complemental lock members. i This assembly is adapted to be inserted. into a cut-out portion in the piece of furniture in which it is to be used. Now the permanent pin 4 as shown in Fig. 1 is driven transversely through the furniture displacing the pin t and taking the place of the pin 4 in the assembly above described.

The other part of the complemental members comprises merely a flat keeper member 3 pierced with holes 15 to receive attaching means to secure it its corresponding complemental part of said piece of furniture, the keeper member 3' also contains an aper ture 16 to receive the jaw portion 9' of the latch member 2 together with the lower portion of its housing 1L The operation is as follows Upon depressing by the thumb or finger the pivotable latch member 2 adjacentthe cut-away portion 7 of the casing 1 about its axis 4 the pivotable latch. member 2 is forced against the helical spring 12, the jaw member 9 is caused to be disengaged from its cooperating part of the keeper member 3 thereby permitting the two furniture parts to which these members are secured to be moved relative toeach other into any position into which. they are constrained to move. To lock the: members firmly together it is simply 1 necessary to bring the two furniture parts together again so that the member 9 of the p-ivotable latch member 2 and the lower portion of its housing 1 enter into the aperture 16 provided on the keeper member 3.

" The beveled edge 17 0f the jaw member 9 guiding the latch member 2 into locked position with the aperture 16 of the keeper member 3.

It will thus be seen that I have invented a simple, efficient, and practical locking de vice which is not liable to get out of order, which may be readily applied to and removed from the place to which it is attached and which maybe manufactured at low cost of production. a

that I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A lock comprising a Ushaped housing member enclosing a substantially rectangular shaped latch member pivoted thereto, means for operating said latch member comprising cut-away portions on the opposed edges of said housing member, an integral aw portion on said latch'member, a helical spring maintaining said latch member in one position and a cooperating keeper plate pierced to receive the lower portion of said. housing member.

2; A latch member for a lock, comprising a substantially rectangular strip of sheet metal having a latching. aw integral therewith projecting from one of its longitudinal ends and pierced with a circular pivot receiving aperture atits other end and further pierced with a transversely formed H-shaped aperture intermediate said ends.

3. A'loclr comprising a U-shaped housing member enclosing a latch member pivoted thereto, an integrally formed jaw portion on the lower end of said latch member, a helical spring maintaining said latch member in one position, a cooperating keeper platepierced to receive the lower portion of said housing member, a collar for separating said latch and housing member and cut-away portions on the opposed edges of said housing member for providing a working surface for said latch. member.

4. A. lock comprising a U-shaped casing having circular aligned holes and transverse- 1y formed and aligned rectangular shaped apertures on. opposite sides thereof, a latch member having a latching jaw integrally formed onone of its longitudinal ends: and pierced with a circular hole at its other end and further pierced with a transversely formed H-shaped aperture intermediate said ends, apin for pivotably connecting the said latch member to said casing and a keeper to engage said latching jaw.

5. A lock comprising a U-shaped casing having a circular aligned hole and a transversely formed: and aligned rectangular shaped aperture on opposite sides thereof, cutaway portions on opposed edges of said casing for providing a working surface for the look, a substantially rectangular shaped latch member having an integrally formed latching jaw on one of the longitudinal ends of said latch member and a circular pivot re- V ture at the other end thereof in alignment ceiving aperture pierced in the other end thereof the said pivot receiving aperture of said latch member in alignment with the circular aligned holes ofsaid U-shaped casing,

a transversely formed H-shaped aperture pierced intermediate the longitudinal ends 7 of said latch member, a pin in the pivot receiving aperture of said latch member and: the aligned holes of said casing for pivotably connecting the said latch member to said cas-- i a ing, a helical spring adapted to be presented through therectangular, shaped apertures of said casing into the H-shaped aperture of said latch member for holding the said latch member in one position and a keeper'plate pierced to receive the locking jaw ofsaid latch member.

6. A lock comprising a U-shapedcasing having a circular aligned hole and a transversely formed and aligned rectangular shaped aperture on opposite sides thereof, semi-circular cut-away portions on opposed edges of said casing for providing a workingsurface for operating said latch member, a substantially rectangular shaped latch member having an integrally formed latching jaw on one of its longitudinal ends and f pierced with a circular pivot receiving aperwith the circular aligned holes of said U- shaped casing, a pin in the pivotreceiving aperture of said latch member and the aligned holes of said casing for pivotably connecting the latch member to said casing, a transversely formed H-shaped aperture pierced intermediate the ends of said latch member in alignment with therectangular shaped apertures of said casing, a helical spring adapted to be presented through the apertures of said casing into the H-shaped aperture of said latch member for holding the latch memberin one position the ends of' said helical spring'bearing against the sides of the apertures of said casing, a collar for separating the latch and casing and a keeper plate pierced to receive the lower portion. of

v said casing.

' CHAS. J SYMMONDS. 

